I missed Beyoncé’s European tour, so I flew 4,600 miles to New Orleans to see her in concert — by myself
Beyoncé has lengthy been on my record of must-see artists.When tickets for her Renaissance tour went on sale in London — the place I reside — I instantly tried, however failed to get seats for one in every of her May reveals.When she added three June dates on the metropolis's… When tickets for Beyoncé's European tour went on sale in London, I instantly failed to get seats for one in every of her May reveals. Instead, I flew 4,600 miles to New Orleans to see her in concert, and found a single ticket on a resale web site for £187. Afterward, I listened to Beyoncé’s remodeling of one of her favourite songs, Donna Summer's 1977 disco hit “I Feel Love,” on repeat. I decided to make a trip out of her journey and located direct flights with British Airways for £750 return. The trip included a tour of the metropolis, a cycling tour, a DJ set by Honey Dijon and a DJ performance by Beyoncé.
公開済み : 2年前 沿って Avi の Entertainment World
Beyoncé has lengthy been on my record of must-see artists. When tickets for her Renaissance tour went on sale in London — the place I reside — I instantly tried, however failed to get seats for one in every of her May reveals. When she added three June dates on the metropolis’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, I made one other try, to no avail. But when I began watching scenes of her European reveals on Instagram, I received main FOMO (concern of lacking out).
Finding a single ticket on a resale web site was comparatively straightforward and, at £187, it was less expensive than the London seat. Adding a return flight I discovered for £134 meant the outlay would nonetheless be lower than the ticket I’d discovered for the U.Okay. efficiency, and I put the Amsterdam present ticket into my on-line cart. Just earlier than I hit “buy,” I checked critiques of the resale vendor, which have been poor: folks complained of not receiving tickets or discovering them invalid, and I determined I could not take the chance. I was very dissatisfied however tried to persuade myself that Beyoncé would tour once more. I first danced to “Break My Soul,” a home music observe and the lead track on the Renaissance album, at a London membership evening hosted by British DJ Annie Macmanus in 2022, the place the gang jumped and cheered on the sound of the opening bars. Afterward, I listened to “Summer Renaissance,” Beyoncé’s remodeling of one in every of my favourite songs, Donna Summer’s 1977 disco hit “I Feel Love,” on repeat. The remainder of the album blew my thoughts: it was joyful, fabulous enjoyable — and Beyoncé at her most assured and expressive (“Comfortable in my skin, Cozy with who I am,” she sings on “Cozy,” the album’s second observe).
One day, I casually browsed her U.S. tour dates and located a single ticket for $137.40, together with charges, on Sept. 27, at Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, a date shut to my birthday. The seat was up in the gods, as Brits say, and had a barely off-center view of the stage. On a whim, I purchased it. I was set to grow to be one of many folks fueled by emotions of YOLO (You Only Live Once) to journey 1000’s of miles to see their favourite artists carry out. Earlier this yr, Beyoncé grew to become the most-awarded Grammy winner ever, with 32, so this was the prospect of a lifetime. I determined to make a trip out of my journey — New Orleans being arguably one of many world’s greatest locations to see reside music — and located direct flights with British Airways for £750 return. The metropolis is round 4,600 miles from London, a 10-hour flight away.
I’ve traveled alone earlier than, however I’ve by no means seen a reside present by myself. I received prepared by going solo to see a DJ set by Redmond — who goes by the efficiency identify Honey Dijon — at London’s Southbank Centre about 10 days earlier than the New Orleans present. She performed her personal mixture of “Break My Soul” — I received misplaced in the beat and fortunately danced the evening away. I discovered New Orleans a straightforward place to sightsee alone. Virgin Hotels New Orleans, the place I stayed, is barely a half-mile from the Superdome stadium, and was well-prepared to host the numerous concertgoers who stayed there. The Sunday earlier than the Renaissance present, I loved the resort’s Beyoncé Burlesque & Drag Brunch, the place drag queen Laveau Contraire launched a crew of dancers in Bey-style leotards, feathers, heels and wigs.
Exploring New Orleans’ fascinating and diverse historical past by myself was additionally easy: I joined a lot of excursions, from a guided stroll across the metropolis’s well-known French Quarter, with its stunning cast-iron balconies and bohemian galleries, to a cycle tour of areas together with the arty Faubourg Marigny, which was based by a Creole millionaire. Stopping at an intersection, our cycle information Danny Laurino identified that we have been inside view of three historic durations — a traditional sight in the U.S. Standing in the 19th-century Marigny, we may see throughout the 18th-century French Quarter to the fashionable skyscrapers of the central enterprise district, lower than two miles away.
Most hanging of all was a visit I took to the Whitney Plantation, about an hour’s drive from New Orleans alongside the Mississippi River. It’s one of many solely sugar plantation museums that tells the story of the individuals who have been enslaved there, moderately than specializing in rich homeowners or structure. A Wall of Honor memorial is devoted to a number of hundred slaves, whereas an exhibit describing the 1811 German Coast Uprising reveals decapitated heads on poles, a recreation of the executed slaves who participated in the revolt. The remedy of black folks in the U.S. is explored by Beyoncé in her 2016 album, “Lemonade,” with pictures of black ladies on the steps of a former plantation house that includes on the title observe’s video. The video for “Formation,” set in Louisiana, reveals the singer on prime of a New Orleans police automobile because it sinks into floodwaters precipitated by Hurricane Katrina, and ends with Beyoncé making a “black-girl air seize” motion whereas sitting in a plantation home.
I was particularly excited to see Beyoncé carry out in New Orleans given its significance for her, and on the day of the present it appeared that everybody in the town was there to see the singer. As I sipped espresso on the resort’s rooftop bar in the morning, a girl in the swimming pool exclaimed: “I’m relaxing … I’m doing my aqua aerobics, I want to be limber for tonight. A man next to her in a yellow Beyoncé-themed top and cowboy hat held a pink drink. I went for a good brunch at Willa Jean, where the cocktails were themed around Bey’s songs, and then headed to Vue Orleans, an interactive exhibit at the Four Seasons Hotel that helped me understand the city’s past. As I walked toward the museum, a man in a passing car yelled: “It’s Beyoncé day!” out of the window.
Back at my hotel, a station for applying facial glitter was set up in the first-floor café, while several sequin-clad guests sat at the bar. Beyoncé’s fans make a serious effort with outfits for her shows, and as I walked along the sidewalk toward the Superdome, I was surrounded by hundreds of people whose clothes twinkled in the street lights. Some were in diamante jumpsuits or long dresses, with sparkling cowboy hats or thigh-high metallic boots. Others had recreated Beyoncé’s costumes, with bee-themed colors (her “tremendous” fans are known as the Bey Hive) or rhinestone-decorated sunglasses. I gasped as I saw the Renaissance set inside the stadium. It was huge, with a football pitch-width screen and stage, with another circular stage in the middle of the floor. Although my seat was high up, I still had a great view, and as Beyoncé rose up on a platform in a neon yellow gown to sing the first song of the night, “Dangerously In Love,” the atmosphere was electric. Her silver-dressed band, who I recognized from their performance the night before, appeared on a stepped stage behind her.
As she moved on to songs from the “Renaissance” album, wristbands — that each audience member had been given — lit up, and it felt like I was dancing inside a giant disco ball. Later, the lights changed from white to purple for “Drunk In Love,” and then flashed red, white and blue when Beyoncé sang “America Has A Problem.” I had a sense of being at the world’s biggest party, where everyone came dressed in their glittering best — and everyone was welcome. From the incredible visuals to fireworks and spectacular costumes and dancing, it’s hard to pick a favorite moment. Beyoncé repeated “Mama Louisiana” — a lyric from “Formation,” several times — which delighted the audience, and when Blue Ivy danced to “Black Parade,” it was hard to hear her mother’s singing for the screaming around me. “I hope y’all had the time of your lives,” Beyoncé shouted over the final track, “Summer Renaissance,” as she appeared to float in the air above the audience in a shimmering silver gown.
トピック: Louisiana, New Orleans, Beyoncé